Wengerball Isn't Dead Yet: A Call For 4-3-3

It is quite clear that ever since the disbandment of "The Invincibles," Arsene Wenger has been in the market for a different type of footballer—a 'total' footballer. We have seen him consistently shift players out of position in a hope that he can pull off a great stroke of genius, much like his insistence to play Robert Pires on the flanks despite him arriving in North London as a central player.

But why then do we see Arsenal fail at a test they should be passing with flying colours? Many have attributed it to being a lack of leadership on the pitch, or the insistence that Arsenal are too young as a squad to dominate.  Those assumptions could not be further from the truth.

The players at Arsenal are more than capable of dominating if they are all played in a system that suits everyone on the pitch—a 4-3-3. This change of formation would even leave Wenger with the ability to keep is chequebook in his pocket, as it is assumed he likes to do.

A team like Arsenal are ready made for this style of play, much like Barcelona have been doing over the years, and there are many similarities with both teams. Neither team have a 'commanding' 6,4 centre back, nor do they play with wingers hugging the touch line. Rather, they expose their opponents frailties by deploying speedy counterattacks with very precise passing and finishing, attackers constantly swapping positions leaving defenders flat-footed.

Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Nasri as well as Messi and Andrey Arshavin are all very similar footballers. They are lacking in height, and arguably have no power to control a midfield without a destroyer to clean up and retrieve the ball. But rather, they dominate by being very clever footballers. Evidence of this was showcased in the second half of this year's Champions League Final where Manchester United's finest could not get close to the Barcelona defense due to Xavi and Iniesta's brilliance and calmness under pressure in midfield.

If Arsenal played like this with a duo of Nasri and Fabregas in the middle, as well as an anchor just behind them to clean up, we'd probably see the young team fulfilling their full potential. Nasri is not a winger, nor do the likes of Walcott or Denilson have the trickery to get past most fullbacks. But Wenger has bought many players over the past few years who are of a very similar mould, and it was only when players such as Hleb or Nasri were played centrally, in their favoured positions, did we see them as title winning footballers.

Over the years, many Arsenal fans have been crying out for a world class striker or a huge centre back to scare away the likes of Bolton or Sheffield United on a cold January night, but this should not take priority until we learn to utilise our players effectively and in a system where a team of three strikers—and we have those in abundance, can put away all the chances the midfield create.

Arsenal aren't far away, maybe the 2009-'10 season will see Wenger learn from the achievements of Barcelona and deploy a similar system.